19960627 Post Gazette Lobbyists Hiring Is Questioned

LOBBYISTS HIRING IS QUESTIONED Author: PETER J. SHELLY, POST-GAZETTE HARRISBURG CORRESPONDENT Dateline: HARRISBURG Article Text: A Democratic lawmaker wants the state Ethics Commission to look into House Majority Leader John Perzel's hiring of Mark Zabierek, a well-known lobbyist from Pittsburgh. Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, yesterday wrote Daneen E. Reese, chairwoman of the Ethics Commission, asking her to issue a ruling on Zabierek's hiring. Perzel, R-Philadelphia, hired Zabierek in March as a consultant to help win passage of welfare reform, workers' compensation reform and the state budget. Zabierek has not registered with the secretary of the Senate or the chief clerk of the House to lobby on behalf of Perzel. Evans said in his letter that he wants the Ethics Commission to determine whether Zabierek ``is obligated to divulge to House members that he is speaking to them on behalf of Mr. Perzel'' when he lobbies for votes. Evans also wrote that ``current law provides that House members and staff are not permitted to lobby other House members or staff within a year of leaving employment with the House. Is not Mr. Zabierek operating under much more lenient rules than those that exist for House members and other staff?'' Zabierek's clients include Pittsburgh City Councilman Eugene Ricciardi, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, Advest Inc., the Road to Educational Achievement through Choice Alliance and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania. ``I just raised some issues. I've been here for 16 years, and I've never seen anything like it. We are asking for some type of ruling,'' Evans said later. ``Bizarre is the word for it.'' Zabierek said last week that he was helping Perzel make inroads with conservative Democrats from Allegheny County. A handful of those Democrats sided with the GOP majority last week in winning passage of a major rewrite of the workers' compensation law. Perzel is paying Zabierek $2,000 a week out of his leadership funds and already has paid the lobbyist $20,000, according to Perzel's spokesman, Stephen Drachler. Drachler said ``everything was done aboveboard'' and dismissed Evans' criticisms. He also suggested that Evans could have violated the ethics law by making his letter public. Complaints should remain confidential, Drachler said. ``Mr. Evans needs to check the ethics law himself before embarking on wrongheaded crusades,'' Drachler said. ``Mr. Perzel hired Mr. Zabierek as a consultant under legitimate circumstances. He has been very helpful and very useful, and his relationship was open and public,'' Drachler said. ``He has been a valuable link for Mr. Perzel in understanding issues important to Western Pennsylvania. Mr. Evans is flat-out wrong.''